No stopping Malacañang

Malacañang notched its third straight win with a 92-77 drubbing of Bureau of Fire Protection to stay unbeaten in Group A elims even as National Housing Authority stunned House of Representatives, 102-100, in the 5th UNTV Cup held over the weekend at the Pasig City Sports Center.

The Malacañang Kamao needed a big fourth quarter show through the hot shooting of Ian Garrido and John Jimenez to keep their unbeaten record intact in the annual tournament organized by UNTV president and CEO Daniel Razon.

Protecting a slim 64-61 lead going into the 10 minutes, the Kamao pulled away for good with a decisive run aided by a solid defensive transition early in the payoff period.

Garrido finished with 19 points while Jimenez and Erick dela Cuesta chipped in 17 and 11 points, respectively, to secure the early Group A lead.

BFP slipped to 2-1.

With five players scoring in double figures, the NHA Builders erupted for 32 fourth quarter points to escape with the win in the tournament offering R4 million to the chosen charity of the champion team.

Antonio Lustestica led NHA’s game-changing run and finished with 29 points as they handed the Solons their second straight heart-breaker.

In the other game, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority drew 22 points from Jeff Sanders to beat Senate, 77-70.